Refrigerating apparatus



' Mar. 13, 1923.

G. A. BANG REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Fi ed Feb. .18, 1922 ATTORNEY Fig.1.-

Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

GEORGE A. BANG, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed February 18, 1922. Serial No. 537,373.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. BANG, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at the city of St. Louis, Stateof Missouri, UnitedStates of America, have invented a certain new and useful Refrigerating'Apparatus, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exactdescription as will enable anyone skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a refrigerating apparatus for articles of foodand other perishable articles and one particular service for which it isintended is to maintain ice cream at a low'temperature while beingtransported on vehicles.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for the purposesmentioned which will produce a very low temperature in the refrigeratingchamber by the use of a convenient refrigerant such as a mixture of iceand salt or other chemical which promotes rapid melting of the ice andthus provide efficient refrigerating means which can be easilytransported and economically operated on a delivery truck. Other objectsand advantages of the invention will appear from the following detaileddescription.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of atruck body in which my improved refrigerating apparatus may beinstalled; Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal cross section of the bodyshown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a vertical transverse cross sectionthrough compartment 2 of Figure 2. The truck body shown is provided withthree compartments 1, 2, and 3 and illustrates a convenient arrangementof compartments on an ice cream delivery truck embodying my invention.The compartments 1 and 3 may be used for carrying ice, containers andarticles which do not require refrigeration. My improved refrigeratingapparatus comprises the compartment 2 and the devices therein, the wallsof the compartment being insulated in any suitable manner (not shown). 4represents a container for crushed ice and salt provided with an openinand cover 5 at the top of the chamber. K plurality of air pipes 6 extendhorizontally through the bottom of the container and, are open at bothends in the upper part of the compartment 2. From the lower edge of oneend of I the'container a baffle plate 7 extends downwardly to a pointnear the bottom of the refrigerating compartment 2 and is spaced from avertical wall thereof. On the side of the chamber 2 opposite the bafile7 is a door 8 for access to the chamber and extending upwardly from thelower part 0 the end of the container 4 above the door is a baffle plate9 which is spaced from the vertical wall of the chamber 2 and from theends of the pipes 6. A drain pipe 10 for the container 4 is providedwith a branch 11 opening in the container at the point just above thelevel of the upper air pipe 6, this branch 11 and the part of the pipe10 between the point of connection with 11 and the end of the pipeforming a permanently open drain.

The portion of the chamber 2 beneath the container 4 forms the space forthe ice cream or other articles to be refrigerated.

In the operation of the device the container l is filled with crushedice and salt and the brine formed by action of these elements sinks tothe bottom of the container and will fill the container to the leveldetermined by the lowest opening in the pipe 11 and thus submerge theentire lengths of all of the tubes 6. The purpose of draining off brineabove the level of the tubes is to and thus have no interference withthe most rapid possible cooling action and the maintenance of the wallsof the pipes 6 at a very low temperature. The air in the pipes 6 beingcooled to a point below that in the bottom of the chamber 2, passes outof the pipes and to the bottom of the chamber displacing the warmer air.

The baffle 9 insures that the discharge of cold will take place from theends of the pipes above the baffle 7 and this latter baffle directs theair to a point near the bottom of the chamber 2 and establishes acirculation path for the air down one side of the chamber across thebottom and upward on the opposite side of the chamber adjacent to I thedoor. When the door is opened some of the cold air will of course escapeand warmer air entering to take its place will immediately rise betweenthe baffle 9 and the adjacent vertical wall of the chamber 2 and is thusdirected through the pipes 6 and cooled before coming into contact withthe contents of the chamber 2.

Tests have shown that my refrigerating apparatus will maintain atemperature several degrees below zero Fahrenheit at the bottom of thechamber 2 during the actual use of the truck in hot weather indelivering ice cream to dealers and consumers and with comparativelysmall consumption of ice, this efiicient operation being chiefly due tothe manner of control of the air currents and the fact that the entirelengths of the pipes 6 are kept constantly submerged in the coldestbrine it is possible to produce with a mixture of ice and salt. Thearrangement and location of the cooling pipes descrlbed also makespossible the formation of a refrigerating chamber having a relativelylarge capacity in proportion to its overall dimensions.

Having fully described my invention What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

The combination with a refrigerating chamber provided with a door, of arefrigerant receptacle in the upper part of the chamber, a plurality ofair pipes extending through the refrigerant receptacle and having theirintake ends communicating with the chamber at a point directly above thedoor, and means controlling air circulation through said pipes to causethe air to enter at said intake ends.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my seal.

GEORGE A. BANG. [L. s.]

